Ford Standing Firm On Shelby GT350 Lawsuit

Now survived by the Ford GT500, the discontinued Mustang Shelby GT350 is still a fantastic muscle car. Despite the rip-snorting 5.2-liter V8 living under its bulging hood, the hotted-up Mustang isn't just a straight-line special. On the contrary, the 526-horsepower flat-plan-crank-equipped pony car is in its element on a circuit, carving up a set of S-bends in a way once reserved only for European sports cars.

Well, according to the plaintiffs of a particular class-action lawsuit, that's not strictly true. Previously, CarBuzz reported on a group of GT350 owners who banded together against the Blue Oval. The displeased individuals alleged that, when equipped with the Base or Technology packages, the performance car was subject to overheating issues after track use. In 2017, the GT350 shipped standard with a Track Package and coolers, both of which were previously optional extras.

The issue comes in here: Ford advertised the GT350 as "track-ready." However, the lawsuit alleges the carmaker removed the coolers from lower trims to save money. This omission isn't something you'd allow for a track-focused car.

Unwilling to settle, Ford is ready to fight this and, as such, is heading to trial. This is according to Hagens Berman attorneys, who represent the claims of Shelby GT350 owners. Ford's legal team says there is "no dispute" regarding the Mustangs, noting there isn't a "known design issue rendering them unable to handle typical track driving conditions without prematurely overheating."

However, the original lawsuit, filed in the Southern District of Florida, noted that myriad GT350 owners experienced a drastic speed and performance reduction on the track, "without warning [and] in as little as 15 minutes." Yet, Ford's attorneys said, as mentioned above, that there is no debate around the fact that these vehicles lacked coolers.

"Under some typical track day sessions, they can indeed go into powertrain protection mode, which the Plaintiffs call limp mode. Because of the generation of heat, to protect the transmission and the differential from damage, the powertrain protection mode limits the performance of vehicles in some respects," said Ford's legal counsel.